Cable equalizer



Aug. 2, 1932. A. J. EGGAN CABLE EQUALIZER Filed June 13, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l g- 1932- I A. J. EGGAN 1,369,471

CABLE EQUALIZER Filed June 13, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J /ed 4/7. W

Patented Aug. 2 1932 ,nnirsnsrarss PATENT OFFICE ALFRED J; EGGAN, orcnron'eo, ILLINOIS, AssrG on To LrvINGs'roN' ENGINEERING COMPANY; or on Ion o IL INoIS, ACOBPOR-ATION or ILL Nois c ste EQUALIZEB;

Application filed June 13, 1929. Serial No. 370,515.

The present invention relates in 'gene ralto cable equalizers and more particularly ,to. such equalizers as are interposed between the hitch-beam of the elevator car and the hoist- V 5 ing cables. j I One of the objectsof my invention is to provide an equalizing device that is fluid operated,

Another object is to provide an equalizing device of novel construction that will ad just itself to all discrepancies of cable length that occurs in elevator installations.

Another object is to provide a cable equalizing device that will adequately compensate for varying or shifting loads on the elevator car. v a 1 7 Another object is to entirely eliminate any resilient or spring connection between the cables and the elevator car. I A further object is to provide a cable equalizer of rugged and cheap construction that may be easily installed and cheaply maintained. V

A further obj act is to provide a cable equal- 2? izer that automatically compensates for the varying length of the hoisting cables attached to the elevator car.

A still further object is to provide a cable equalizer through Which hoisting cables may be attached to the elevator car, having a unitary construction and-one Which is. subject to no particular Wear.

There are other objects to my invention, which together with the foregoing Will be de .35 scribed in thedetailed specification Which is to follow taken in conjunction With the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

In practicing my invention, I provide a 40 number of cylinders corresponding to the. number of cables that are to be attachedto the hitch-beam. These cables are fastened'to pistons that are adapted to operate Within the cylinders. The cylinders arefilled with a fluid such as fairly heavy grease. There are openings betweenthe various cylinders so that by the variance in pressure, the grease is transferred from one cylinder tothe other until proper compensation is securedvfor varying cable lengths.

Hereto'fore, cable equalizers have been constructed in the form of a resilient or spring attachment and the resiliency of the spring is supposed to compensate vfor the varying length of cables. twill be readily appreciated that the tension of the various springs is uncertain and that this tension tends to change with Wear, consequently a true equals ization of the load on the hoisting cables was never secured and the cables Were subjected to unequal Wear. This difficulty in-. volving unequal Wear of the cables is prevalent on everydevice using a resilient connection with the car through which the Cables are Woven. Another method of cable equalization employs a number of sheaves on the elevator cab. This equalizing arrangment is expensive to manufacture and the cables ear very rapidly, causing great expense in their replacement. It is also unsatisfactory to attach thecables directly to the hitchbeam, for the reason that each individual cable cannot be constructed uniformly and they tend to stretch to different degrees, thereby bringing about the same difliculty pointed out hereinbefore. It vvillbeappreciated that the cables have to be replacedas soon as one becomes worn out, consequently, unless proper equalization is secured, the life of the Whole group of hoisting cables is materially reduced and the cost of cable replacement is a very important item in elevator maintenance.

By applicants improved device, the equalization of the load onthe various cables is secured. hydraulically and the loadis evenly distributed over the Whole group of cables, thereby-securing maximum Wear and reduc ing materially the cost of elevator maintenance. Another factorthat is encountered When the elevator hoisting cables Wear unevenly is that there is an element of danger introduced, since the strain onafew cablesof the group may be greatly in excess to their break- I ing point and ifthese cables break, the Weight Will be thrown on the other cables of the group Which Will be unable to sustain it. Thus proper equalization is absolutely'necessary from a safety standpoint. Furthermore, this unequal distribution of load on the hoisting cables tends to cant or tilt the elevator so as to bring about unequal wear between the elevator shoes and guides, thereby introducing another factor that increases the maintenance cost of elevator installations, in addition to rendering such installations noisy and more or less inefficient. 7 Referring now to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my improved cable equalizer arranged to be connectedto six hoisting cables; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of one of the equalizing cylinders illustrating an adjacent one in elevation and is taken along the line 22 of Fig.1 looking in the direction of the arrows. v In the drawings like reference characters apply to similar parts throughout.

Reference character 1 designates a cylinder block having six cylinders, in this instance 2 cast integrally therewith. The casting 1 is secured in any suitable manner such as by bolts passed through openings 3 to the hitchbeam of the elevator car sling. A port or opening 4 connects the upper end of each of the cylinders 2. A piston 5 of the shape shown in Fig. 2 isadapted to telescope Within each of the cylinders 2 and fit rather closely the interior walls of-each cylinder, the cylinders being bored and the piston lapped in to secure this fit. A leather cup washer 6 having an up-turned wedge shaped flanged portion 7 constructed of leather or other suitable material, is suitably fastened to the inside of the piston 5 by a cup-shaped metal member 7', having an up-turned flange, the leather cup 6 and metal member 7 being secured to the piston 5 by means of-countersunk screws 8. The metal members 7 e pands the cup member 6 and forces it against the walls of the cylinder preventing any leakage of the fluid used. Each of the pistons 5 is provided with a central tubular opening 9, that is adapted to be penetrated by a rod '10. A nut 11 is adapted to be threaded on the piston and of the rod 10 and a washer 12 is interposed between the face of the nut and the bottom of the piston 5. The nut 11 is castellated and adapted to receive a cotter pin 13 penetrating the rod 10. The upper end of the rod 10 is fastened to the cable in any convenient or well-known manner, such as by a poured meal fastening. The upper end of the cylinder 2 is formed with an inwardly extending flange that is threaded to receive a closing member 1a. The closing member 1a has a depending flanged portion 15 and an upstanding portion 16. The lower extending portion carries a flange 17 that is adapted to fit tightly the wthrough alemite fittings 20. These alemite fittings are provided in as many of the cylinders as is desired though it is only necessary that one be used since the grease can be pumped into all the cylinders through the various ports or connections for inter-connecting them. I

in practice the cable equalizing device of my invention is very readily attached or installed on the elevator. In order to accomplish this result the elevator is operated to the top floor and a sling is placed around it to support it, the cable shackle bolts are disconnected from thehitch-beam of the elevator car and the shackle rod 10 of each cable is inserted into the tubular portion of the piston 5 and the nuts 11 are suitably adjusted. It will be appreciated that prior to this time the cylinders are filled with grease to the proper amount. This is determined by the length of the shackle bolts and also by the length of the various cables. WVhen all the cables have been connected in this manner the elevator sling is removed and the hydraulic pressure will equalize the strain on the various cables in the manner described so that the load on the elevator is evenly distributed on the various cables. The grease, glycerine or heavy oil is transferred from one cylinder to another to accomplish this result through interconnecting ports 4. It will be appreciated, of course, that the cylinder casting 2 is suitably connected to the hitch-beam of the elevator car in any desired manner, such as, by bolts passing through the openings 3. It may also be attached between the cables and gounterweights with the same function as beore.

Another feature is the construction of the cylinders 2 with an inturncd flange at the top thereby forming an opening that is smaller than the compressing portion of the piston 5. Thus, if anything should occur so the fluid would not act the piston could not be pulled from the cylinder, thereby giving an additional safety factor.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that my improved equalizing device may be very readily installed on an elevator car in a very short space of time. This is anadvantage over prior equalizing devices which are relatively difficult to install and which require a great deal of time and'labor. Furthermore, my improved equalizing device compensates immediately for any variance in the relative lengths of the cables and may be very readily adjusted to difierent lengths of "shackle bolts Hit by merely altering the amount of grease, oil, glycerine or other compound employed.

My improved equalizer is capable of being employed with heavy freight elevators as well as light passenger elevators. in tests it has already sustained a load of four thousand pounds (4000) to the square inch and operated satisfactorily.

By the use of a fluid as an equalizing medium the equalization of the load on thevarious cables occurs rapidly and evenly until all the cables of the group bear equal loads. As pointed out hereinbefore this result has been very diificult to accomplish and any equalizing arrangements that accomplish similar results requires a great deal of appa-' ratus and brings about an enormousstrain on the cables during the esualizing operation; My improved equalizer also enables the cables to be attached to the car in the usual and standard manner.

Attention is also directed to the fact that my improved equalizer is so constructed that the various parts thereof may be replaced with a minimum of trouble in the event any are worn out. F or example, in order to replace the leather cup washer 6 the bolt 11 is removed, permitting the piston 5 to be withdrawn, whereupon a new leather cup washer may be attached. I

My invention is not limited to the particular arrangement of apparatus described, but may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A cable equalizing device comprising a pair of. integrally cast metal cylinders, a connection between said cylinders, a piston mounted for sliding movement in each cylinder having a central opening therein, a closing member threaded into one end of each cylinder and having central opening therein, a cap member threaded on each closing member with a central opening therein and a cable shackle bolt adapted to penetrate the central openings in each cylinder and means for connecting each bolt to its associated piston.

2. Cable equalizing device comprising a pair of integrally cast metal cylinders, a connection between said cylinders, a piston mounted for sliding movement in each cylinder having a tubular shankand a hollow head, a cable shackle bolt adapted to telescope said tubular shank and a fluid retaining member surrounding said tubular shank and fitted into one end of said cylinder.

3. Cable equalizing device comprising a pair of integrally cast metal cylinders and connection between said cylinders, a piston mounted for sliding movement in each cylinder provided with a tubular shank extending outside of said cylinder and a cap member for each cylinder fitting around said shank member and closing one end of each cylinder,

and a cable shackle bolt adapted to be con-.

connecting each bolt to the associatedpiston,

a cup shaped leather Washer adapted to fit over the head of said piston surrounding said central opening, and a metal washer adapted to fit over said leather washer and having a flanged -periphery adapted to force the sides of the leather Washer against the cylinder walls.

5. A cable equalizing device comprising a plurality of integrally cast metal cylinders, a

iston mounted for sliding movement in each cylinder havlng a central opening therein, a

cable shackle bolt adapted to penetrate the central opening in each cylinder, means disposed within the space defined by an extension of the cylindrical walls 01"- the piston for connecting eacn bolt to its associated piston, and sealing means cooperating with each cylinder.

6. A cable equalizing device comprising a plurality of integrally cast metal cylinders, a piston mounted for sliding movement in each cylinder having a central opening therein, a cabl shackle bolt adapted to penetrate the central opening in each cylinder, adjustable means disposed within the space defined by an extension of the cylindrical walls of the piston for connecting each bolt to its associated pistonpand sealing means cooperating with g each cylinder.

7. A cable equalizing device comprising a plurality of integrally cast metal cylinders, a piston mounted i'or sliding movement in each cylinder having a central opening therein, a cable shackle bolt adapted to penetrate the central opening in each cylinder, a guideway formed integrally with said piston and adapted to cooperate with said shackle bolt,

means disposed within the space defined by an extension of the cylindrical walls of the piston for connecting each bolt to its associated piston, and sealing means cooperating with each cylinder.

adjustable means disposed within the space defined by an extension of the cylindrical walls of the piston for connecting each bolt to its associated piston, and sealing means cooperating with each cylinder.

9. Cable equalizing device comprising a 1 pair-of integrally cast metal cylinders and a connection between said cylinders, a piston mounted for sliding movement in each cylinder provided with a tubular shank extending outside of said cylinder and a cap member for each cylinder fitting around said shank member and closing one end of each cylinder, and a cable shackle bolt adapted to be ad justably connected to each piston through said shank member.

10. Cable equalizing device comprising a pair of integrally cast metal cylinders and a connection between said cylinders, a piston mounted for sliding movement in each cylinder provided with a tubular shank extending outside of said cylinder and a cap member for each cylinder fitting around said shank member and closing one end of each cylinder, a cable shackle bolt adapted to be connected to each piston through said shank member, and means disposed within the space defined by an extension or" the cylindrical walls of the piston for connecting each bolt to its associated piston.

11. In a cable equalizing device, the combination with a. metal casting having vertical cylindrical openings therethrough, sealing means at the upper end of each opening, a piston cooperating with each opening having a tubular shank and hollow head adapted to coact with the lower end of each opening to form a complete closure, a cable shackle bolt adapted to telescope said tubular shank and means for connecting each bolt to its associated piston.

12. In a cable equalizing device, the combination with a metal casting having vertical cylindrical openings therethrough, sealing means at the upper end of each opening, a piston cooperating with each opening having a tubular shank and hollow head adapted to coact with the lower end of each opening to form a complete closure i'respective of the position of the-piston relative to the upper end. of the cylinder, a cable shackle bolt adapted to telescope said tubular shank and means for connecting each bolt to its associated piston.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this lOth day of June, 1929.

ALFRED J. EGGAN. 

